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BLACK TORCH

BLACK TORCH is Tsuyoshi Takaki's supernatural ninja franchise about Jiro Azuma, an animal-loving shinobi descendant whose bond with the cat spirit Rago pulls him into a hidden war against mononoke. The anime streams on Crunchyroll.

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BLACK TORCH

Jul 4, 2026 / Crunchyroll / 100studio

BLACK TORCH turns Tsuyoshi Takaki's manga into a sharp supernatural action anime about Jiro Azuma, Rago, ninja instincts, mononoke threats, and a Crunchyroll summer slot built for fast fights, stylish creature energy, and clean shonen momentum.

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BLACK TORCH has the kind of premise that sounds playful until the claws come out. Jiro Azuma is a rough-edged high schooler from a shinobi bloodline, but his gentlest trait is the most important one: he can talk to animals. When he rescues a strange black cat named Rago, he gets dragged into a supernatural conflict involving mononoke, ninja traditions, and powers that make him a target. Tsuyoshi Takaki's manga keeps the appeal sharp and readable. It is a supernatural action story with a strong lead silhouette, a memorable cat-spirit hook, and the kind of hidden-war setup that makes every new enemy feel like part of a larger shadow world. VIZ's official page frames the series around Jiro, Rago, shinobi heritage, and the war between ninjas and demons, while also pointing viewers to the anime on Crunchyroll. The anime adaptation brings 100studio into the mix and gives BLACK TORCH a useful modern entry point for viewers who missed the manga but like supernatural shonen with a compact, punchy premise. The July 2026 rollout also makes the franchise feel newly active instead of trapped as a short completed manga. BLACK TORCH should land especially well with fans of ninja action, spirit battles, and stories where the hero's compassion becomes the first step into danger. Jiro is not pulled into the fight because he wants glory. He saves a wounded cat, and the world punishes him by getting much bigger, stranger, and more violent.

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